Global nappy hawker trials TweetPee moist-baby monitor

Twitter is preparing for an IPO, casting around for business plans to sell to investors, and so may be relieved to know Kimberly-Clark, maker of the popular Huggies diaper brand, is suggesting a solid (or in this case, liquid) idea for them to take to market.

The TweetPee is a bird-shaped humidity sensor and wireless antenna that is clipped on to the front of a diapered baby's crotch. When the sensor detects a number one from the increased moisture in the air, it sends a tweet to the parent's iPhone telling them to check their offspring.

The application will also monitor how many diapers the baby is getting through, and has a sales mechanism for ordering more. The system is being trialed in Brazil with a very limited number of families in July, and Kimberly-Clark insists it's just a prototype at this stage.

"The clip-on humidity sensor is intended merely as a concept device to help showcase these 10 parents' experience with the app," it said in a statement. "It will not be made available for purchase, nor are we suggesting parents are unable or too busy to notice when their babies' diapers need changing!"

While this El Reg hack is thankfully child-free, it would seem that there are already methods for ascertaining whether your offspring has relieved him- or herself. True, not all babies cry when they've filled their diaper, but modern nappies do have resealable tags allowing the parent to check if everything's dry down there.

Still, it's sure to sell a lot of diapers, particularly if the sensor is a little bit oversensitive, and that means more sales for Kimberly-Clark. But in safety-paranoid America it's unlikely many parents are going to be happy strapping a radio onto the spot they're hoping to get grandchildren from. ®